Work

Green synthesis of high quantum yield tyrosine-derived carbon quantum dots with intrinsic osteo-supportive bioactivity

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: -rich carbon core and impart a cytocompatible, bioactive surface chemistry. Systematic optimization of the citric acid : TYOE ratio, microwave power, and reaction time identified 2.5 g citric acid with 3 mL of 100 mM TYOE (450 W, 4 min) as the optimal condition, yielding monodispersed, quasi-spherical, amorphous-to-turbostratic nanoparticles (3-6 nm) decorated with hydroxyl, carboxyl, amine, and amide surface groups, as established by FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FESEM-EDX, and HRTEM/SAED. CQD-P1 displayed excitation-dependent, emission (blue, ∼400-420 nm) arising from coupled core- and surface-state radiative recombination, with a relative photoluminescence quantum yield of 37% referenced to coumarin-102. On MG-63-like cells CQD-P1 was not merely non-toxic but pro-proliferative, sustaining cell viability above 100% across the 10-200 ppm range (MTT assay) with a maximum at 50 ppm, a result further corroborated by calcein-AM/propidium iodide live/dead confocal imaging. Moreover, collagen deposition, assessed by picrosirius red staining over 14 days, was higher in CQD-P1-treated MG-63 cells than in untreated controls, indicating an enhanced matrix-forming response. The atom-economic energetically affordable synthesis to simultaneous multicolor bioimaging capability and osteo-supportive bioactivity, establishes tyrosine-ester-derived CQDs as a bifunctional nanoplatform for integrated diagnostic bioimaging and regenerative bone tissue engineering.

Source: RSC Advances

DOI: 10.1039/d6ra07724b